Hatching rate of prawns plunges over 80 per cent within eight years

The hatching rate of prawns has dropped significantly since 2008, plunging 80 per cent in 2016, according to the Myanmar Shrimp Association.
The hatching rate plummeted after Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar. Previously, a hatchery could produce up to 5 million of prawns. Now, only 600,000 prawns can be produced per hatchery, said U Soe Myint, the joint-secretary of Myanmar Shrimp Association.
Prawn businessmen and experts are planning to discuss how to boost the production rate, according to the association.
The drop in production rate is also attributed to the high cost of feedstuff and other general costs, plus requirements in infrastructure, he added.
Additionally, the hatching rate declined due to diseases. The Myanmar Fishery Federation (MFF) is making an effort to prevent prawns from diseases, said Daw Toe Nandar Tin, the vice chair of the MFF.
Competent authorities and entrepreneurs need to cooperate for the shrimp farming business to raise its head again, she
added.
There are 80 members in Myanmar Shrimp Association across the nation.